India Lands On Moon’s South Pole, Becomes Fourth Nation To Achieve Feat
India has achieved a historic milestone in space exploration by landing its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the moon’s South Pole on Wednesday.
The mission, whose name means ‘moon vehicle’ in Hindi and Sanskrit, is the first to explore the unexplored region that may contain frozen water and valuable elements.
The spacecraft, which carried a lander and a rover, touched down at 8:34am ET, triggering celebrations and applause among the space scientists in Bengaluru, India.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said the mission marks India’s emergence as a space power and aims to boost investment in private space launches and satellite-based businesses.
The lander and rover are expected to operate for two weeks, conducting various experiments, such as analyzing the mineral composition of the lunar surface with a spectrometer to detect water ice.
‘This achievement marks a significant step forward for Indian Science, Engineering, Technology, and Industry, symbolizing our nation´s progress in space exploration.’
India had tried to land on the moon in 2019 with its Chandrayaan 2 mission, but the spacecraft crashed due to a software error.
India’s second attempt was successful, unlike Russia’s Luna-25 mission, which failed to land on the South Pole last week.
The Luna-25 went into an uncontrolled orbit and crashed.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft began its descent at 8:30 am ET, using its thrusters to slow down for a soft landing.
The spacecraft had only two engines working as it approached the surface.
